Potential benefits of structured lipids in bulk compound chocolate: Insights on bioavailability and effect on serum lipids.

The bioavailability impact of serum lipids in compound chocolate products based on structured lipids was studied. Compound chocolate products containing fat with and without structured lipids were digested in vitro under simulated gastrointestinal lipolysis conditions and were studied in vivo in healthy C57BL/6J mice. The in vitro digestion results show that products containing structured lipids, milk compound chocolate filling and white compound coating, significantly reduced the release rate of Free Fatty Acids (FFA) and improved the caloric reduction between 12.49% and 13.71% compared to products without structured lipids, suggesting that FFA were not absorbed. Animal feeding studies revealed no adverse effects on the compound products intake; in fact, these products reduced total cholesterol, LDL-c, VLDL-c and triacylglycerols. The present work shows the relevance of developing functional compound chocolate as providing a potential healthy initiative through the biological effect of the bioactive ingredients incorporated.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) interacts with lovastatin and ionizing radiation to modulate prostate cancer cell viability in vivo.

The ability of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to modify prostate carcinoma viability in vitro and in vivo when combined with the HMG CoA reductase inhibitor lovastatin and ionizing radiation was investigated. Treatment of PC-3 cells in vitro with hCG caused a modest increase in numbers of non-viable cells within 96 h. Treatment of cells with hCG followed by exposure to the HMG CoA reductase inhibitor lovastatin suppressed AKT phosphorylation and enhanced the cytotoxic effects of hCG. The cytotoxic effects of hCG were blocked by expression of BCL-(XL) and dominant negative caspase 9. Treatment of mice bearing PC-3 flank tumors with lovastatin and hCG significantly reduced tumor volume within 7 days; this was also reflected in decreased ex vivo colony survival of the cells which correlated with increased cleavage of pro-caspase 3 and reduced Ki67 immuno-reactivity. In vitro, treatment of PC-3 cells with hCG followed by exposure to ionizing radiation enhanced the cytotoxic effects of hCG, that was further enhanced by lovastatin. In vivo, hCG radiosensitized PC-3 tumors and significantly enhanced the lethality of hCG and lovastatin treatment. Collectively, our findings argue that treatment of PC-3 prostate cancer tumors with hCG, lovastatin and radiation represents a potential novel therapeutic approach.

Radiotherapy-induced signal transduction.

Exposure of tumor cells to ionizing radiation causes compensatory activation of multiple intracellular survival signaling pathways to maintain viability. In human carcinoma cells, radiation exposure caused an initial rapid inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatase function and the activation of ERBB receptors and downstream signaling pathways. Radiation-induced activation of extracellular regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 promoted the cleavage and release of paracrine ligands in carcinoma cells which caused re-activation of ERBB family receptors and intracellular signaling pathways. Blocking ERBB receptor phosphorylation or ERK1/2 pathway activity using small-molecule inhibitors of kinases for a short period of time following exposure (3 h) surprisingly protected tumor cells from the toxic effects of ionizing radiation. Prolonged exposure (48-72 h) of tumor cells to inhibition of ERBB receptor/ERK1/2 function enhanced radiosensitivity. In addition to ERBB receptor signaling, expression of activated forms of RAS family members and alterations in p53 mutational status are known to regulate radiosensitivity apparently independent of ERBB receptor function; however, changes in RAS or p53 mutational status, in isogenic HCT116 cells, were also noted to modulate the expression of ERBB receptors and ERBB receptor paracrine ligands. These alterations in receptor and ligand expression correlated with changes in the ability of HCT116 cells to activate ERK1/2 and AKT after irradiation, and to survive radiation exposure. Collectively, our data in multiple human carcinoma cell lines argues that tumor cells are dynamic and rapidly adapt to any single therapeutic challenge, for example, radiation and/or genetic manipulation e.g. loss of activated RAS function, to maintain tumor cell growth and viability.